FIGS. 1 and 2 show the most pertinent types of handheld devices used for controlling electronic equipment. FIG. 1 shows a mouse 101 that controls the position of a cursor 102 on the display 100 of a computer. The mouse 101 typically has a track-ball mounted on its underside that is used to translate the position of the mouse on the horizontal surface 103 that it “rolls-on” into the position on the computer display 100 that the cursor 102 is displayed at. A typical mouse will transmit (e.g., wirelessly through a radio frequency (RF) transmitter or electronically through a cable) data that describes the rolling activity of the mouse's track ball to the computer. The computer, in turn, translates this information into an appropriate screen position for the cursor 102. The mouse 101 also includes buttons that can trigger certain actions on the computer when the cursor 102 overlaps or points to a “button” or “menu” or other feature that is displayed on the computer screen 200.
FIG. 2 relates to handheld devices used for controlling entertainment related electronic equipment. With respect to televisions, currently, the typical system includes a television that is coupled to an external “box” 203 having circuitry designed to provide a certain type of “signal” to the television. Examples of such circuitry include cable TV receiver circuitry, satellite TV receiver circuitry, Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) circuitry, Digital Video Disk (DVD) player circuitry, gaming device circuitry, a computer's circuitry, music player circuitry (e.g., CD player circuitry, stereo receiver circuitry, etc.). Over the course of the coming years, it is expected that more and more of the circuitry described above will be integrated into the television rather than being located in an external box.
Regardless of the packaging and location of the circuitry that provides a television signal, a remote control 201 is often used to make user selections on a television display 200. The opportunity to make selections is typically presented as some kind of software generated user interface that is superimposed over (or integrated with) a television signal. The user interface often includes bordered regions and/or icons (e.g., regions/icons 204, 205). Typically one of these regions/icons 204, 205 is “highlighted” if the user is deemed to have implicated the particular region/icon. In order to implicate a particular region/icon, the user presses one of a plurality of arrow buttons 202 that “point” in a direction where a next region/icon to be highlighted/implicated is located on the television display 200. The remote control 201 also typically includes a “select” button that, when pressed by the user, triggers some action (typically via transmission of infrared (IR) codes) by the television's circuitry or external box circuitry consistent with what the highlighted region/icon represents.
FIG. 3 shows that digital cameras have also been integrated into handheld devices. Besides standard “digital handheld cameras”, digital cameras have also been integrated in equipment having a traditional or primary purpose different than taking pictures. Cell phones, for instance, are now available having an integrated digital camera. FIG. 3 shows a cell phone 301 in the process of taking a digital picture 302.